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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Daniel Hurst Foreign affairs and defence correspondent

Australia complains to Chinese embassy over ‘ham-fisted’ attempt at blocking view of Cheng Lei at event

Cheng Lei
Chinese officials tried to block the view of the formerly detained journalist Cheng Lei at an event at Parliament House. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

The Australian government has formally complained to the Chinese embassy over “ham-fisted” attempts by its officials to block the view of the formerly detained Australian journalist Cheng Lei during an event inside Parliament House.

The incident, which occurred during a signing ceremony with the visiting Chinese premier Li Qiang, has drawn condemnation from Australian MPs who branded the embassy officials’ actions as “counterproductive” and “inappropriate”.

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